FCI 2017 Schenectady Press Page

The 6th annual Festival Cinema Invisible (FCI) International Film Festival will be held at Proctor’s GE Theater in Schenectady, NY on Saturday, April 22nd and Sunday, April 23, 2017.

The 6th edition brings 58 world, North American, US and regional film premiers from the Middle East and North Africa to the capital region.

The 2017 program highlights animation, documentaries and dramas from and /or about the Middle East.

Featured directors Anne Paq, Ala Qandil, Daby-Zainab Faidhi are scheduled to come to Schenectady to present their films “Gaza: A Gaping Wound” and “The Black Land”.

Schenectady, NY (March 22, 2017) – Festival Cinema Invisible, hosted at Proctor’s GE Theater, announced its official program selections for the 6th edition of Festival Cinema Invisible. FCI is the only film festival in upstate New York that showcases films from and about the Middle East and North Africa. FCI’s annual celebration brings together cinema enthusiasts and filmmakers to discover the best “invisible cinema.”

FCI 2017 will screen 58 feature-length and short films selected from over 1450 submissions that represent nearly 100 countries. This year’s festival features films representing Afghanistan, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Pakistan, Poland and the United States. The line-up includes films that include world premiers as well as North American, US , regional and festival premiers never before seen in the area.

Films will screen Saturday, April 22 from 10 am – 9 pm and Sunday April 23, from 10 am – 7 pm with an open Q&A session at each screening. Directors Anne Paq and Ala Qandil are scheduled to be in attendance on Sunday at the noon screening of their film “Gaza: A Gaping Wound,” and a Q&A with the directors will follow. Director Daby-Zainab Faidhi is also scheduled to be present on Sunday for the 5 pm screening of her animated film, “The Black Land”.